We moved in our new house. The house has cathedral ceilings up and down, and the only attic1 space was in the adjoining wall from my son”s room, which is above the kitchen. It is about twelve feet long, and its highest point is about five feet, and then it tapers2 down from the angle of the roof...
The first thing I noticed that was odd was that it had been nailed shut. Not just with a few nails but about twelve long ominous3 ones…The former occupant was either attempting to stop someone getting in….Or out.
The house is in a very nice neighborhood with a creek4 nearby, the mountains nicely within view and a multitude of parks… It was upon the third night that we first heard something out of sorts…A scratching noise above the kitchen. I told my wife and son that we must have a trapped animal in the attic space, perhaps a rat. Yet, for some unexplainable reason my imagination kept considering a far more sinister5 prospect6... Whatever the course I was going to have to investigate… <a hRef=htTps://wwW.EuZw.nEt/miNiFoRm.html>苏州中考语文培训</a>
That Saturday my wife went off shoe shopping and left me and my son to attend to a variety of 'honey do's". Towards the top of the list was investigating the attic.
It was the last task I completed that day. Finally I could no longer procrastinate7, and retrieved9 my tool box from the garage and, with Jonathan eagerly at my heel we slowly marched upstairs. My dog Tasha was as usual also by my side…
We went into Jonathan's room and into the corner where the wood panel is nailed into place. The angle from the attic continues up in my son's room, so there is only five- foot height outside the panel...
I sighed and set my tool box down, and banged my head in the process. This entertained my son but only irritated me further. I pulled my hammer from the box and with much effort I eventually pulled out the first nail…It was six inches long. The strange thing was after that first nail got out, Tasha started whining10 and licking my hand…Eventually she was so much of a distraction11 that I had to ask Jonathan to take her downstairs… <a hReF=htTps://WWw.EuZw.nEt/miNiform.html>苏州作文培训哪里好</a>
It must have taken three quarters of an hour to get the first eleven nails out…It was a warm afternoon, and my salty sweat was starting to drip down my forehead and burn my eyes…I was just drying off my eyes when I thought I heard something from inside the space… A rustling12 noise and the noise however slight, was a noise nonetheless, this could only mean one thing that something was moving in there, just a few feet from where I was now sitting. The look on my son”s face was transformed to a bored look, to one of slight fear. Perhaps he was somehow in tune13 to my thoughts, or maybe he could also sense that things were not quiet right with this attic. I considered simply nailing the board back into place…Yet part of me could not do that. I simply had to know…
So I took a deep breath and worked on the last nail. As it slipped from the place it had obviously been situated14 in years, the board came free. The first thing that we became aware of was the smell…It reminded me of rotting meat. As there were no lights put into the space, I sent Jonathan back down to the garage to retrieve8 the most powerful flashlight I own…He raced down with the exuberance15 of a ten year old and was back moments later. <A hRef=htTps://Www.EuZw.net/MiNifoRm.html>苏州中小学生作文培训班</a>
Jonathan looked at me.
I looked at Jonathan.
"Well," he said, "are you going in or not?"
Now surely I could not disappoint the only person who considered me afraid of nothing? I edged into the space and fired up the flashlight…I was completely taken aback by the sight that met my eyes…And quickly exited. I had noticed three things…a baby”s rattle16, an old-fashioned teddy bear and what looked to be a baby…
As I re-entered the attic, with a more rational mind, and discovered what had appeared to be a baby was only in fact a doll. I sent Jonathan to get my camera and we took this photograph. I chuckled17 to myself at how my mind had twisted the situation…We left the door unnailed, just resting against the gaping18 hole, and continued on with the day. We did not think much more of it until that evening whilst we were watching television; we once more heard the noise. But this time it was significantly louder.
That morning, I once again stuck my head in to the attic, and this time I almost screamed…Not from what I saw, but from what I did not see. The doll had vanished.
I quickly nailed up the panel again…And to this day I have never again ventured inside our attic…And yes, on occasion, we still do hear strange noises coming from that space.
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1 attic
n.顶楼，屋顶室
参考例句：
Leakiness in the roof caused a damp attic.屋漏使顶楼潮湿。 What's to be done with all this stuff in the attic?顶楼上的材料怎么处理？
2 tapers
（长形物体的）逐渐变窄( taper的名词复数 )； 微弱的光； 极细的蜡烛
参考例句：
The pencil tapers to a sharp point. 铅笔的一段细成笔尖。 She put five tapers on the cake. 她在蛋糕上放了五只小蜡烛。
3 ominous
adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的
参考例句：
Those black clouds look ominous for our picnic.那些乌云对我们的野餐来说是个不祥之兆。 There was an ominous silence at the other end of the phone.电话那头出现了不祥的沉默。
4 creek
n.小溪，小河，小湾
参考例句：
He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。 People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。
5 sinister
adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的
参考例句：
There is something sinister at the back of that series of crimes.在这一系列罪行背后有险恶的阴谋。 Their proposals are all worthless and designed out of sinister motives.他们的建议不仅一钱不值，而且包藏祸心。
6 prospect
n.前景，前途；景色，视野
参考例句：
This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。 The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。
7 procrastinate
v.耽搁，拖延
参考例句：
Most often we procrastinate when faced with something we do not want to do.面对不想做的事情，我们经常拖延。 It's easy to procrastinate when the deadline seems infinitely far away.当最终期限总是遥遥无期时是很容易延期的。
8 retrieve
vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索
参考例句：
He was determined to retrieve his honor.他决心恢复名誉。 The men were trying to retrieve weapons left when the army abandoned the island.士兵们正试图找回军队从该岛撤退时留下的武器。
9 retrieved
v.取回( retrieve的过去式和过去分词 )；恢复；寻回；检索（储存的信息）
参考例句：
Yesterday I retrieved the bag I left in the train. 昨天我取回了遗留在火车上的包。 来自《简明英汉词典》 He reached over and retrieved his jacket from the back seat. 他伸手从后座上取回了自己的夹克。 来自辞典例句
10 whining
n. 抱怨，牢骚v. 哭诉，发牢骚
参考例句：
That's the way with you whining, puny, pitiful players. 你们这种又爱哭、又软弱、又可怜的赌棍就是这样。 The dog sat outside the door whining (to be let in). 那条狗坐在门外狺狺叫着（要进来）。
11 distraction
n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐
参考例句：
Total concentration is required with no distractions.要全神贯注，不能有丝毫分神。 Their national distraction is going to the disco.他们的全民消遣就是去蹦迪。
12 rustling
n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声adj. 发沙沙声的
参考例句：
the sound of the trees rustling in the breeze 树木在微风中发出的沙沙声 the soft rustling of leaves 树叶柔和的沙沙声
13 tune
n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整
参考例句：
He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。 The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。
14 situated
adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的
参考例句：
The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。 She is awkwardly situated.她的处境困难。
15 exuberance
n.丰富；繁荣
参考例句：
Her burst of exuberance and her brightness overwhelmed me.她勃发的热情和阳光的性格征服了我。 The sheer exuberance of the sculpture was exhilarating.那尊雕塑表现出的勃勃生机让人振奋。
16 rattle
v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓
参考例句：
The baby only shook the rattle and laughed and crowed.孩子只是摇着拨浪鼓，笑着叫着。 She could hear the rattle of the teacups.她听见茶具叮当响。
17 chuckled
轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。 She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情，她就轻轻地暗自发笑。
18 gaping
adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大
参考例句：
Ahead of them was a gaping abyss. 他们前面是一个巨大的深渊。 The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
19 sordid
adj.肮脏的，不干净的，卑鄙的，暗淡的
参考例句：
He depicts the sordid and vulgar sides of life exclusively.他只描写人生肮脏和庸俗的一面。 They lived in a sordid apartment.他们住在肮脏的公寓房子里。
《我家的阁楼》添加时间：2024-12-14；更新时间：2025-03-09
